Gin-feed governor.



PATENTED JULY 17, 1906, T. A. ANDREWS. GIN FEED GOVERNOR.

'APPLIUATION FILED JULY 10.1905;v

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 1.

No- 826,463. PATENTED JULY-1.7, 190.6 T. A. ANDREWS. GIN FEED GOYBRNOR.

I APPLIOA'IION Hum JnLnoflooa.

2 sums-sum 2'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GIN-FEED GOVERNOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed July 10,1905- Serial No. 269,062.

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, THOMAS A. ANDREWS,

, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grantville, in the county of Coweta and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gin-Feed Governors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a gin-feed governor, the object of the invention being to provide an effective apparatus of this character which will automatically control or regulate the quantity of cotton to be supplied to the ginning mechanism.

In the drawings accompanying and forming apart of this specification I illustrate one form of embodiment of the invention, which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the same I will set forth in detail in the following description, while the novelty thereof will be included in the claim succeeding said description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gin having feed-governing means including my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the principal parts of the feedgoverning mechanism separated from the gin. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views, hereinafter more particularly described, of modified forms of feed-governing mechanism.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the views.

- The gin (except as to the breast) and the feeder for supplying the cotton to the gin may be of any desirable character or of any of the types familiar in the art. The breast of the gin (shown in the drawings) in the present case is movably mounted, this being one of the essential features of the invention, as

by the motion of the breast I control the action of the feeder. The latter may be of the roll or endless-apron form, as deemed more expedient. These matters I mention to indicate that these particular features form in themselves no specific part of the invention.

I have represented in the drawings a gin having the customary roll-box of which the breast 2 forms a part, said breast being hinged in position to swing inwardly and outwardly. A cross-bar is represented at 3 and as situated at or near the upper edge of the breast and as extending entirely or all the way across the same. In fact, the opposite ends of the cross-bar extend outward beyond the sides of the breast. This cross-bar is rigidly connected to the breast in; any desir-- able way for example, it may pass through a bracket 4, fastened substantially centrally to the breast in any convenient way. To one end of the bar and representedas extend.- ing forward therefrom is aleveror-arm, as v5, which carries an adjustable weight, as 6, which can be moved toward or from the breast to regulate its leverage upon the breast and correspondingly regulate thesize of the roll, the weight having a tendency, as will be obvious, to swing the breastinward.

The feeder for conveying the cotton to the ginning mechanism in the roll-box, of which the breast 2, as indicated, forms a part, is designated in a general way by 7, and I will now set forth the means illustrated for driving the feeder, the motion of the feeder being, as will hereinafter appear, governed by the swinging breast 2.

Upon the framework of the apparatus and shown as located at a point above the breast 2 is a power-actuated. member 8, represented as a band-wheel, and the shaft of which carries a pinion meshing with the gear 9, rotatably supported by such framework in proximity to the band-wheel or. pulley 8. I

have shown a rod 10, one end of which is cocentrically jointed to the gear 9, the other end of said rod being likewise united with the rocker 11, fulcrumedbetween its ends upon the framework. The rod 10 is shown as connected with the rocker 11- above the axis of motion of the latter, and it therefore follows that when the gear 9 is rotated the rocker 11 will be oscillated or vibrated.

Pivotally connected with the rocker-l1 at opposite sides of its center of motion are pawls, as 12, of substantially similar construction, the working ends or points of which are adapted to engage at circumferentially-separated points the teeth'of theratchet-wheel 13, which is directly connected with the feeder 7, by virtue of which when the ratchetwheel13 is rotated the feeder will be-driven. By lifting the pawls 12 out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel13 the motion of the latter and necessarily of the feeder will be arrested or checked.

A secondrocker is shown in the drawin s, the same being designated by 14. T- e rocker 14 turns upon the same spindle or pivot as the rocker 11, and it has between its top and bottom a laterally-projecting arm 15 having a widened and weighted head propawls 27. When the breast 2 rises, as has 65 vided with pins or studs, as 16, which constitute rests for the two pawls 12. The pawls 12 as'they travel back and forth ride upon the pins 16. The head or outer terminal portion of the arm 15 is made of sufiicient weight to prevent upward movement in itself of said arm. The arm, however, is movedupwardly through the intervention of connections with the breast as the latter is swung outward to cause the two pins to simultaneously lift the pawls 12 and stop the motion of the feeder 7 1 Two rods are shown at 17 and 18 as jointed at their outer ends to that end of the bar 3 opposite that carrying the weighted lever or arm 5.. The lower rod 17 rests normally near itsfree end upon the projection 19, eX- tending from the rocker 14 below its center of motion, said free end being provided with a I hook 20 to engage the projection 19. Should an unusual amount of cotton be advanced by the feeder 7 toward the ginning which the-lower rod 17 will be drawn out- I ratchetheean ward, causing the hook at the end of said rod to swing the rocker 14 in such direction that its'arm 15 will be lifted upward, the two pins 16 liftin the ,awls 12 and stopping the I necessarily the feeder. When the feeder is stopped, the supply of cotton to the ginning mechanism is checked until the excess is disposed of. As soon as the excess is ginned the breast will be 'relieved of pressure, so that it can drop back by its own weight to its original position, and as it does so the rod 17 is thrust longitudinally to carry the hook 2O thereon away from the cooperating projection 19, so that the weighted arm 15 can drop and permit the pins 16 to fall away from the two pawls and the latter to-engage the cooperating ratchetwheel to resume the feed.

The upper rod 1.8 has in it near one end a longitudinal slot to receive a projection 21 on the rocker 14 above the center of motion of the latter. This rod is moved longitudinally when the breast 2 is lifted to obtain access to the ginning mechanism to tip the rocker 14 in such manner as to cause through its arm the lifting of the two pawls. The slot in saidrod 18 does not interfere with the normal action of the apparatusi In Fig. 3 I illustrate a modified constructionof governing mechanism. In this figure,

. 26 denotes a ratchet-wheel adapted to be turned by the two pawls 27. These parts are arranged in the customary manner. Supported at one end by the breast 2 is a rod 28,

a the opposite end of said rod being pivoted to the framing of the machine. Between the pivot 28 and the breast 2 said rod is provided with two pins, as 29, to sustain the two of the ratchet-wheel.

been described hereinbefore in connection with the breast 2, the free end of the rod 28 is lifted, so as to move the points of the pawls 27 out of'engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 26. When the excess of material is disposed of, the breast 2 can return to its normal position, and as it does so the pins 29 by falling away from the pawls 27 permit the points of the latter to again engage the teeth I have only shown the pawl and-ratchet mechanism in said Fig. 3 diagrammatically.

In Fig. 4 I show a further modification, but do not represent the ratchet-wheel, only illustrating a part of the pawls 30 cooperative with the pins 31 on the rocker 32, the pivot of which is designated by 33. T0 opposite sides of the pivot are fastened to said rocker 32 by elongated slot-and-pin joints rods, as 34 and 35, the rod 35 being connected with the longer rod 34 between the ends of the latter. The free end of thelong rod 34 rests upon the breast 2 whereby when the breast is raised, either during the action of the gin or when it is desired to obtain access to the interior thereof, the pins 31 will be caused to engage the pawls 30 in such manner as to move them out of engagement with the cooperating ratchet-Wheel, which, however, I have not illustrated.

The only difference in the structures shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and those in the preceding figures is as to the means of throwing the pawls out of engagement with the ratchet-wheels from the breast. The breast 2 is hinged at its lower edge just above the seed-board, so that it is in position to be swung outward by pressure and the fiow of the roll. Acting in opposition to the pressure of the cotton against the breast is automatic means consisting in the present instance of the weight 6, adjustable on the arm 5, carried by the transverse bar or shaft 3, rigidly united to the breast near the upper edge thereof. When the pressure acting against the breast is removed, the weight prom tly and automatically returns to its origina position,'where it can permit the pawl 12 to become again active for operating the ratchet-wheel 13 to cause the motion of the feeder, it being understood that the feeder is thrown out of action on the outward movement of the breast.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is The combination of a gin having a feeder and a breast hinged at its lower edge for swinging motion, driving mechanism for the feeder including a ratchet-wheel and pawls for engaging the ratchet-wheel, a rocker having an arm provided with pins to engage under the pawls, and rods to oscillate the rocker and acting upon thesame at opposite sides of IIO its center of motion, a shaft extending en my hand in presence of two subscribing Wittirely across the breast substantially at its nesses. upper edge said rods being connected at one end of the shaft, and a weighted inwardly- THOMAS ANDREWS 5 extending arm connected with the opposite Witnesses:

end of the shaft. T. E. ZILLARY,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set F. T. MEACHAM. 

